Social Media has a massive incentive problem, it rewards those who cause pain - imagine finding the biggest bully in school and paying them every time they beat up the little kid - that’s the incentive structure of Social..

Below I have done a precis of an article I wrote over four years ago about the dysfunctional incentive structure of Social Media, a structure that grossly rewards antisocial behaviour by paying people who create pain for others.

I thought it apt to explain it again as friends and family recently saw Louis Theroux’s ‘Forbidden America, Episode 1 - Extreme and Online’, and it deeply disturbed them as it powerfully demonstrates this issue.

In one part Louis follows a social media troll who makes his living by walking the streets, streaming himself live, with followers sending in racist, homophobic, misogynist comments for him to say to random passers by - which they then pay the troll for delivering to unsuspecting Mothers, Fathers, Grandparents and children.

It highlights clearly the issue we have where SM can reward those who cause pain on purpose.

The problem is - largely - fixable. Make the platforms at fault if they amplify the posts of this kind of anti-social behaviour, People will still say horrific things but the messages won’t be amplified and go viral.

And when it comes to Virtual Characters and The Metaverse, make everyone identify who they are so that if they conduct abhorrent behaviour they can be kicked off and not let back in again. What we are already sure of is that trolling and disinformation can create negative and painful experiences and this will grow as Virtual Human characters become easier to make.

There are a number of verses we are working with on Avatar sentinel program to monitor behaviour or be there as a ‘steward’ to help, and also create ‘walled’ areas within big worlds where young people can go safely, knowing everyone in that particular venue has been registered.

Or, you could simply ensure that everyone on social is registered to a phone, you could do this at phone or phone contract / operator level, so everyone knows that they are identifiable and culpable.

This would collapse disinformation - better for democracy - remove predators - better for children, and make Trolls trackable. Why isnt it happening, good question, but don’t believe there isn’t a solution.

It’s still a work in progress, but its super important.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0014khc

Original article below, first published Sep 2018